Xestia agathina (Duponchel, 1827)


Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Male (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Female (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Female (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Female (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Female (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Adult (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Adult (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Adult (e.l. rearing, Black Forest, 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, 27. March 2021) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva, brown form (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Young larva, brown form (Black Forest, March 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva, brown form (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva, brown form (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Half-grown larva (Black Forest, April 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva in the penultimate instar, brown form (northern Upper Rhine Valley, April 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Larva in the penultimate instar, brown form (northern Upper Rhine Valley, April 2020) [M] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, 21. May 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Larva (Black Forest, May 2020) [S] Xestia agathina: Pupa quite vertically in a cocoon which has partly been removed (Black Forest, late July 2021) [S] Xestia agathina: Pupa (Black Forest, late July 2021, e.l. rearing) [S] Xestia agathina: Pupa (Black Forest, late July 2021, e.l. rearing) [S] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (northern Upper Rhine Valley, April 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (northern Upper Rhine Valley, April 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (northern Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (northern Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (northern Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (northern Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (central Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (central Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (central Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (central Black Forest, March 2020) [N] Xestia agathina: Larval habitat (central Black Forest, March 2020) [N]

Host plants:
The larvae feed on Calluna vulgaris, more rarely and regionally (e.g. SW-Europe) also on related Erica species.

Habitat:
Xestia agathina inhabits warm and most often quite dry sites in the lowlands and medium high moutains (up to about 800-900m) like Atlantic heathland, sandy grasslands with dwarf shrubs, embankments, rocky places in open woodland, open dry woodlands and similar places. The larvae develop usually on older bushes in semi-shadow under loose trees in fringes or transition zones between open woodland and open countryside respectively in the understore of open woodland. Thus Xestia agathina is vulnerable if woodlands get too dense and dark woodland respectively and depends on the availability of plenty open spots like aisles or fringes. Xestia agathina obviously misses in true bogs even if Calluna is available.

Life cycle:
The moths occur in early autumn from mid- or late August to October. The larvae hibernate small and are active again from late February or March. Then they are easily beaten from Calluna. But already the half-grown larvae feed mainly at night and retreat deeply into the bushes or when fully-grown also in the litter during daytime. The larvae occur in a green and a brown form. Young larvae are more often green and mature ones usually brown. The larva is mature between late April and late May. The prepupa rests for a quite long period in the cocoon which is constructed in rearing vertically in the upper soil, supposedly often directly under a Calluna shrub, not within sand.

Endangerment factors:
Xestia agathina is often very local and occurs in small sites. These sites are especially endangered by darkening because of total overgrowth and eutrophication.

Remarks:
Xestia agathina shows an expansive Atlanto-Mediterranean distribution pattern. It occurs from SW-Europe (Iberian peninsula, France, Italy) across parts of Central and NW-Europe (northwards to Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Poland and Estonia). In Germany, it occurs especially in the Rhine Valley and adjacent landscapes like lower and western parts of the Black Forest or the lower Mail Valley and in parts of N- and E-Germany (e.g. Lower Saxony, S-Brandenburg, N-Saxony).



Xestia ashworthii | Xestia baja | Xestia c-nigrum | Xestia castanea | Xestia collina | Xestia ditrapezium | Xestia kollari | Xestia mejiasi | Xestia ochreago | Xestia rhomboidea | Xestia sexstrigata | Xestia triangulum | Xestia xanthographa 
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